Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-04-01
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Regular Correspondent.

city during the week. The National
Department of superintendent, the
Passenger Agents Association of the
United States and Canada, and the
Institute of Civics have each held con-
ventiOns here, while the excursionists
have come by the thousand.
The Presidents social duties have
not in the least diminished with the
adjournment of Congress. He ac-
corded the railroad representatives a
special reception on one of his of
days, and yesterday afternoon when
he dropped his pen and papers and
came down to the East Room at his
regular hour for shaking hands with
the great American public, he found
the crowd swelled by the presence of
several hundred of the educational
dignitaries now in the city, and the
cultured gentlemen who represent the
American Institute of Civics.
The latter society has for its object
the promotion of the study of govern
ment and the spread of Mr.. Dorman
B. Eaton's political philosophy.
AS the President smiled graciously
and shook hands with the superin-
tendents, he assured them that he was
always delighted to meet a body of
school-teachers. al was something of
school teacher once myself, you
know" said he, "and l sometimes feel
that / am something of q school
teacher STILL" Every school man in
the line was presented to the Presi-
dent by name. CDR. Lucky, of Pitts
burg" said the introducer, as an unu-
sually handsome gentleman stepped
forward to grasp the Presidential hand.
1t had been intended to have all the
educators in one compact body with
no outsiders sandwiched between
them, but it happened that very di-
lapidated looking old tramp had got
ten into line just behind the fine look
ing man from Pittsburg. AS the
straggler approached the President
there was marked hiatus. No tongue
could tell his name. But the
President was equal to the situation.
He extended his hand with unusual
cordiality and said in an encouraging
tone: "How are you my friend?
suppose your name must be DR.. Un-
lucky" Every body in hearing of the
remark laughed and so did the tramp.
After leaving the White House the
pedagogues were photographed in a
group on the steps of the State, War
and Navy Department building.
At one of the Mr.. Cleveland's recent
noon-day receptions there appeared at
the end of the procession q sharp
looking man with a short, clean
shaven face and close-cut white hair
who proved to be Mr.. Edwin Smith,
one of the lawyers who defended
james ID. Fish when he was on trial in
connection with the ruin of the Marine
National Bank. Mr.. Smith is work.
ing hard to have the President pardon
the old banker, and thinks he will
succeed. The ground on which he
pleads for mercy is that the old man
has now been punished as much as it
is possible to punish him, and that it
would be in mercy to his family to
have him released. He says the old
mans daughter has taken room in
Auburn and haunts the penitentiary
like specter day and night.
At the educational convention the
superintendents have discussed civil
service reform. Those who spoke on
the subject were pretty nearly all civil
service refOrmers, and that sentiment
was loudly applauded by the assemb-
lage of men and women who filled the
hall of the National Museum where
the sessions were held.
This reminds me of something that
Representative Breckenridge, of Ken
tucky, recently said on the subject.
He was speaking before the Virginia
Democratic Association about the
duties Of Democrats to their party.
The potency of democracy in the Dis
trict OF Columbia is fully demonstra-
ted, by the way, in the size and enthu-
siasm of the meetings of the different
Democratic Associations which are
held from time to time.
The Congressman from Kentucky
said that Democratic Administra-
ton, in the first year or two of its ac-
cession to power, could not fulfill all
the hopes and expectations and antici-
pations of that event. 1t was enough
that it had given the country an
honest and an able Government and
fully represented the public opinion
that produced it. Instead of COM
planning of the Civil Service laws and
the fact that the Republicans are not
turned out of Office as fast as they
might be, he said it was the duty Of
Democrats to cndeavor to make DEM
ocratic supremacy permanent, and
when this was accomplished, more OF
their hopes might be realized.
Dem.
KITCHEN tables may be made as
white as snow if washed with hard soap
and wood ashes. Floors look best
scrubbed with cold water, soap and
wood ashes.